The Princess and the Penitent
by hitokage195
Summary: Sunset Shimmer has been living in the human world for so long, she's missed many important events in Equestria. She wants to go back, but feels she will be unwelcome in her old home. But Twilight and her friends are there to help her. Twilight and Sunset right now, might turn into Twilight x Sunset x Flash later.
1. Chapter 1

It was nearly 6 pm when Sunset Shimmer looked out the classroom window and noticed the sun disappearing on the horizon. For the past few weeks she had spent nights helping out at Canterlot High, doing things like cleaning blackboards and emptying trash bins. At first she did it to make up for her treatment of the other students in past years, but Principals Celestia and Luna had long since expressed their forgiveness. Even so, it felt good to help out, and Sunset liked feeling useful. Besides, she felt more comfortable at the school than in the town library she spent her nights in, but she had overstayed her welcome. She packed her things and left the the room, making her way down the hallway to the main entrance.

Shifting the weight of her bag between her shoulders, Sunset stepped into the cool evening air and started to head down to the sidewalk, when on her way, her eye caught the statue in front of the school. Hesitantly, she approached it. A mix of emotions filled her as she gazed at the surface of the portal to Equestria. Sadness, guilt, and a flicker of hope… Since Twilight Sparkle left this world for the second time, Sunset realized the portal would always be open now. She could return to Equestria, her old home, see her old teacher and maybe make things right with her, to use her magic once again. But Sunset was scared to go back to the world she had come from. So instead, she settled for dreams and wishes, for running her hand over the smooth surface. When her reminiscing was finished, she turned and finished her journey to the sidewalk and started on her way to the Canterlot library.

Upon entering, Sunset waved hello to the nighttime librarian, called Autumn Skye. Autumn knew Sunset well by now, and let her stay in the library overnight. After all, Sunset did not have many places to go. When she had first come to this world, she had considered finding the human Sunset Shimmer's family and somehow convincing them to let her stay with them, but it turned out the family had moved away when the human Sunset was still very young. Recently, she had thought about asking one of her new friends, particularly Pinkie Pie or Rarity, to let her stay with them, but she didn't quite feel comfortable with the idea. Sunset went up the stairs to the upper section of the library, where there were soft armchairs to sit and read in. She grabbed a book she had been reading over the last few nights and plopped down in one of the chairs, flipping to where she had left off in her book. She soon drifted off, dreaming of Equestria.

The next morning was Saturday, and Sunset woke with her book on the floor. She quickly picked it up and reset the pages that had bent slightly during their stay on the floor. She stretched, yawned, and got up from her place to put the book back on the shelf. She walked briskly down the stairs and said hello once again to Autumn Skye, whose shift was ending to make way for the daytime librarian. As Sunset left the library, she realized that today, she had a day off from work at the coffee shop run by a woman named Keen Bean. Sunset Shimmer liked Keen Bean, and thought she was a fair boss, but with all the extra work Sunset had been doing at school, she felt like she hadn't had free time in ages. It would also mean a break from Pinkie Pie, who worked in the sweet shop run by Mr. and Mrs. Cake next door to the coffee shop, and although Sunset liked Pinkie Pie, she could become overwhelming.

Sunset was excited about the idea of a day off for a moment, but then the thoughts that had nagged her last night returned to her. She hadn't been to Equestria for a long time, save for the quick visit she made to swipe Twilight's crown. So much had changed! There were now four princesses instead of two, with Luna returning and Twilight becoming the newest princess. From writing to Twilight, Sunset had learned that the Crystal Empire had reappeared and that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or as Twilight told her, Cadence, had begun to rule it. Not only that, but she and Twilight's brother had been married! Sunset was surprised to learn just how connected Twilight was to Equestrian royalty. What else had changed? How different had her old home become in her absence? She longed to return, to see it for herself instead of seeing it in words and flowery descriptions that Twilight had given her. But she was frightened. Would she be accepted? Would anyone want to be around her?

Sunset Shimmer breathed deeply. She could not let her fear get in the way of something so important to her. She made quick pace toward the school, toward the statue in the courtyard. She faced it, placing her hand onto the portal's surface. When her hand slipped into Equestria and she saw her human hand become a hoof, she gasped and pulled back. But then, she swallowed her fear and dove in quickly, before she could change her mind. She was going back home.


	2. Chapter 2

When Sunset Shimmer emerged on the other side of the portal, she stumbled on her hind legs and fell to the floor. "I'll have to get used to four legs again," she said to herself, easing herself up on her hooves. Hooves. She had been relying on fingers for so long that she worried it might cause a problem. But at least, in her unicorn form, she had her magic.

Magic! Oh, how she had missed her magic while she lived in the human world. She decided to stretch her horn, so to speak, by practicing some teleportation across the smooth floor she had landed on. Smooth… and cold. It wasn't winter in Equestria, so it couldn't be ice, and the floor of Cadence's castle wasn't quite like this. At once, Sunset took in her surroundings, and realized she was in a place she did not recognize. By its size it must have been a castle, if the seven thrones that graced the room's center weren't a dead giveaway. She realized it must be Twilight's castle, as the princess had described in her letters! Sunset suddenly felt fearful about Twilight Sparkle noticing her intruding on her home. She and Twilight were friends, but they weren't so close that Sunset could show up in her home, across a dimension, unannounced. She searched for a window, judging the distance between herself and the ground below. Then, focusing her magic, she used a powerful teleportation spell to reach her destination.

When Sunset reappeared on the grass outside the castle, she felt dizzy. A teleport of such distance was no easy task, even for a powerful unicorn like her. "Besides," she told herself, "I am out of practice." She waited a moment, rubbing her forehead with a hoof to make the twinges of headache disappear, and then set off into Ponyville. The sun had not quite risen yet, and Sunset suddenly realized how strange it seemed to her that the sun did not move on its own in Equestria. She'd spent her life as a human too long, perhaps. Her thoughts momentarily turned to the one who raised it, but she shook the thoughts away. As Sunset had spent her life as a pony in Canterlot, she had never been to Ponyville, and she wanted to explore it before Twilight or any other ponies woke up. She started off at a walk, and as her reflexes on four legs returned to her, she sped up to a trot, internally praising herself for warming up to her old body so quickly. She made her way into town and grew wide-eyed when she saw the buildings. Human architecture couldn't compare to that of ponies in a million years! She trotted along the path toward the center of town, watching as ponies started to wake and begin their day. She passed a fountain where ponies were stopping to drink, and noticed an especially cute building whose roof appeared to be made of chocolate and frosting. Sunset thought it must have been the alternate for the sweet shop Pinkie Pie worked at in the human world, and sure enough, Mrs. Cake, in her pony form, emerged from the shop. Sunset Shimmer read the sign out front and saw that it read Sugarcube Corner. "How sweet!" she thought. She momentarily searched for what might be the alternate for Keen Bean's coffee shop, but she didn't see one. She explored for a while longer, and after she had taken in her fill of Ponyville, Sunset decided it was time to go see Twilight.

She made her way back through the town toward Twilight's crystalline castle. As she trotted along, ponies waved happily at her, and Sunset suddenly felt very shy. These ponies had no idea who she was. Would they have been so welcoming if they knew about her past? Sunset brushed these thoughts away and tried to ignore the smiles coming her way. She soon reached the edge of town and breathed a sigh of relief as she continued up the path to the castle. She wondered what Twilight would think when she saw her, and hoped her reaction wouldn't be too negative. Sunset raised a hoof to knock on the castle door, feeling anxious. What would Twilight say? Sunset rapped on the door a few times and waited. And… waited. "It is a pretty big castle," she thought. "And I don't think Twilight exactly has any guards to do things for her like Princess Celestia or Cadence." But, surely, it shouldn't be taking this long. Especially for a pony who can teleport. Sunset started to worry. Maybe Twilight wasn't home? The unicorn was about to leave, when the door opened and Twilight appeared in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, but I'm extremely busy right now and I don't have any time for… Sunset Shimmer?" Twilight said, confused. "I didn't recognize you at first! What are you doing here?"

"Just, uh, visiting," replied Sunset. "Um, am I supposed to bow or something?" she asked awkwardly.

Twilight laughed. "No, don't worry about that! Come on in." She turned and led Sunset into the castle.

"I thought you said you were busy," Sunset mused.

"Oh, I am, a little," Twilight responded. "But… Sometimes ponies from town come to me with things like complaints about the town because they think I have some kind of power over it. They don't realize they're still supposed to go to town hall for that kind of thing. And some ponies want to have a look at the 'famous princess.'" Twilight smiled at Sunset. "So I sometimes just, you know, tell them I'm busy to get them out of my mane."

"The famous princess lies?" Sunset scolded jokingly.

"It's not really lying, is it? I am always studying," Twilight said, laughing as she did. "But you're my friend. You're welcome here anytime."

Sunset blushed a little. She knew Twilight considered her a friend, but she didn't realize she thought of them as so close. "Wow, thanks Twilight."

"Of course!" Twilight responded. She had led Sunset to a sitting room with cushions of various colors arranged in a circle on the floor. Twilight motioned for Sunset to sit, and she chose a teal cushion. Twilight sat in a blue cushion next to Sunset.

"So, what made you come back to Equestria? I was kind of under the impression you didn't want anything to do with this place," Twilight said.

"It's not that," replied Sunset. "I think I always wanted to come back, somewhere deep down. I was just scared. I won't lie," she continued. "I feel like the human world is my home now more than this place, but I missed Equestria so much. I didn't realize how much until I came back."

"Well, it sure is nice to have you here as a friend and not as a crown thief," Twilight said, smiling. "But it doesn't seem right that you would just come here on a whim. You're not that kind of per… er, pony."

"Well, you're right about that." Sunset sighed heavily, preparing herself for what she was about to say. "I'm here because I want to make up for what I did. I did it in the human world and I want to do it here, too. I… I want to be on good terms with Princess Celestia again."

"Well, that's lucky! She's in town today, actually," Twilight said excitedly, but Sunset's whole body froze. "I could take you to talk with her."

"She's in Ponyville right now?" Sunset questioned nervously.

Twilight nodded. "One of her regular visits. But we should hurry! Ponies will be lining up to see her," she said.

"Um, I don't know if that would be a good idea," said Sunset, shrinking in her seat.

"Why not? Tomorrow she'll be back in Canterlot, and we'll have to take the train. I'd say that's not a very good idea," Twilight said.

"No, I mean…" Sunset tried to tell Twilight that her courage was failing her, but Twilight interrupted.

"In fact, she'll probably come here herself! Now that I'm a princess, she'll want to see how I'm doing."

Sunset suddenly found herself needing to run. She dashed from her seat and out of the sitting room, searching frantically for the throne room in which she had arrived.

"Sunset Shimmer, where are you going?" Twilight called, running after her.

"I, um, just remembered," Sunset called back. "I have things to do today! I need to get back home, sorry!" When she reached the throne room and approached the portal, Twilight stopped behind her. "Please, don't say anything to Celestia about my visit, okay?" she asked.

"But… She'll want to know, won't she?" Twilight said.

"Twilight, please!" Sunset begged.

Twilight's ears went back and she looked worried for a moment, but she said, "Okay, I won't tell her."

"Thank you," Sunset said, before vanishing through the portal.


	3. Chapter 3

Sunset landed hard on her hands and knees from the portal, and the rough concrete of the path scratched and stung her skin. She needed to give herself a moment to breathe. It had been a long time since she had run so fast! It was something humans weren't capable of. While she caught her breath, hot tears began to well up in her eyes. What was the matter with her? She had wanted to see Princess Celestia, hadn't she? How could she be such a coward? What would Twilight think of her?

The worst of the sudden emotion passed, and Sunset was able to calm herself down. She hadn't counted on how terrified the prospect of actually meeting with Celestia would make her. The idea was all well and good, but actually doing it? How could she face the princess when, the last time she had seen her, Sunset Shimmer had ruined everything between them? She didn't have the strength. At least not now. She picked herself up off the ground, wiping the last of her tears away with the sleeve of her jacket. Just as she started to think of what she would do next, she heard a voice calling to her.

"Hey, Sunset Shimmer! I've been looking everywhere for you." Sunset looked up and saw Rainbow Dash heading in her direction. Practice! Sunset had forgotten all about it! "Are you coming or what?" Dash asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Sunset answered. On Saturday afternoons, she, Rainbow Dash, and Flash Sentry all got together to practice playing guitar and give each other tips.

"Then, uh, where's your guitar?" Rainbow Dash said impatiently.

"Right. It's, um, in one of the practice rooms. Want to come with me?" Sunset offered.

Rainbow Dash quickly considered. "Alright, but let's hurry. I need to play!"

Together, they made their to the school entrance and toward the band room, where the practice rooms were. Rainbow Dash asked, "So, what were you doing by the portal?" She gasped suddenly. "Did you go to Equestria? Did you see Twilight? What about the other me? Was she awesome? Who am I kidding, of course she was."

Sunset felt a bit embarrassed by Rainbow's sudden outburst. She had hoped the other girl wouldn't have noticed exactly where Sunset had been standing when she found her. But she saw no reason to lie to Rainbow Dash, nor did she want to. "Yeah, I… I went to Equestria. I didn't see any Rainbow Dashes, but I did visit Twilight," she told the other.

"That's so cool! You're a unicorn there, right?" Sunset nodded. "I wish I could go. How great would being a pegasus be? Anyway, back to you. What made you want to go there?"

"I missed it," Sunset replied. "And you know how hard I've been working to make up with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna and everyone at Canterlot High, right"

"Duh! You've been working so hard and so often it's like we never get to see you anymore," Rainbow Dash told her. "It's kind of impressive, actually. Not many people have that much energy."

"Well, I wanted to make it up to the Celestia back in Equestria, too," Sunset continued. "Twilight offered to take me to meet her, but I lost my nerve and came back here." As Sunset finished, her gaze dropped to the floor out of embarrassment. As the pair reached the practice rooms, Sunset put just a little too much focus into retrieving her guitar.

"Well, that's a bummer," Rainbow Dash said, frowning. "But you're gonna try again, right? The Sunset Shimmer I know wouldn't give up on anything." Sunset Shimmer smiled at this. Rainbow Dash could be cocky, and even a bit coarse, but she was a true friend at heart. "And, hey, I could come with you!"

As the two walked toward the back of the school, with Sunset's guitar in hand, Sunset wondered if going back to Equestria with her friends would be such a bad idea. She smiled to herself at the thought, but of course, there was also a lot of bad that could come out of Equestria having two of everybody. Sunset decided that now wasn't the time to worry about it. She and Rainbow Dash passed through the back door and headed toward the benches that sat in the shade in the yard, where they saw Flash Sentry waving them over.

"Hey, guys," Flash greeted the girls as they sat down on the bench opposite from him. "What's been going on?"

Sunset was about to answer when Rainbow Dash interrupted her. "Sunset Shimmer spent the morning in Equestria!"

"Wow, really?" Flash said with excitement. "What was it like? Must've been great to finally go back home."

"Yeah," Sunset said. "I forgot how pretty it was there."

"You don't seem too happy, though," Flash observed. Sunset explained the situation to him, an explanation which Rainbow Dash finished by saying, "And that's why I thought I could go with her, to support her. In fact, we could all go! Us two, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack could all go with Sunset Shimmer and help her."

"Would you really all do that for me?" Sunset asked. She was still getting used to the care and support her new friends showed her.

"Sure we would," Rainbow Dash told her. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Soon after, the three of them had rounded up the rest of the girls, and the group was standing in front of the portal entrance. Pinkie Pie was fidgeting excitedly, jabbering about how "we'll be cute little ponies!" Fluttershy was saying goodbye to her animals and promising her quick return. Sunset, however, was frozen. She could hardly think through the nervousness she was feeling. She felt someone else's hand take hers, and turned to see it was Rarity, who smiled warmly at her.

"Everything is going to be alright, darling," she promised.

"'Course it will be," Applejack agreed. "We'll be with you the whole time."

"And if you feel uncomfortable, we can come straight back," Rarity added.

Sunset smiled gratefully at both of them. Everyone in the group was ready to leave. Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath to steel herself, and then led the others through the portal. When they reappeared on the other side, they came face to face with…

Themselves.


	4. Chapter 4

"Uh, Pinkie Pie? Have you been messin' around with that mirror pool again?"

"No, Applejack, you silly! To pull this off, I would've had to sneak you all down there without you knowing. Not that I couldn't, but…"

"Whatever! What the hay's going on?"

"Clearly, girls, they came through the mirror," Twilight said, silencing the others. "There's no reason to worry, it's just my friends from Canterlot High." She turned to the new group that had shown up in the castle. "What are you all doing here, anyway?"

"Why, we're here to help Sunset Shimmer, of course," said Rarity. Twilight hadn't noticed Sunset at first. She was too distracted by the fact that there were two of each of her friends.

"Oh, you came back!" Twilight grinned at Sunset, which made the unicorn's heart flutter. Twilight wasn't mad! "I got so worried when you ran off earlier, and…" Twilight trailed off as she noticed Flash Sentry had come with her friends as well. "Uh, hi," she said, smiling shyly at him.

"Hey, Twilight. Check me out: I'm a pegasus!" Flash excitedly flapped his new wings and lifted himself off the castle floor for just a moment.

"Yeah, I guess you are," she said with a little giggle. Sunset Shimmer suddenly felt very unimportant. She knew Twilight liked Flash, but was it fair for the princess to get all googly eyed in Sunset's time of need? The unicorn felt her face flush and she looked down at her hooves.

"Twilight," the 'human' Rarity said, stomping her hoof. It was her hind hoof, which was odd to see. "We are here to help Sunset Shimmer make peace with Princess Celestia."

At that, Twilight seemed to snap back to reality. "Right," she said seriously. "It's actually a very convenient situation. Princess Celestia had to leave before I was able to visit with her, so she's invited me and my friends to come see her in Canterlot." She turned to her Ponyville friends and said, "You girls won't mind if I bring my Canterlot High friends along instead of you, will you? Sunset Shimmer knows them and she'll be more comfortable with them."

Rarity was the first of Twilight's pony friends to speak up. "Well, there was a delightful new chapeau I was planning on picking up that's only sold in Canterlot, but if it will make Sunset Shimmer feel better, I will stay put here." She offered Sunset a smile, and the flame colored unicorn was surprised. If this Rarity was anything like the Rarity she knew, fashion was more important than anything to her. How could she show such kindness to somepony she had only just met? The other four ponies voiced their agreements, smiling in the same way for Sunset. She returned their smiles shyly but gratefully.

"Excellent! Thank you, girls," said Twilight. She turned to Flash Sentry. "You should stay here, too, Flash. The Flash Sentry in this world is a member of the royal guard in the Crystal Empire, and you could get in trouble if someone at Canterlot Castle recognizes you." Flash nodded in understanding.

"Okay, girls, it's time to go to the train station," Twilight said to the Canterlot High ponies. "I bought an extra ticket in case you came back, Sunset, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Wow, thanks, Twilight!" Sunset said.

After Twilight found Spike and told him she was leaving, and Spike promising her he would get some chores done, the group made their way to the edge of town, where the train station was. They stepped on board and were soon headed to the capital city of Canterlot.

Sunset Shimmer's friends were enjoying themselves, with the two pegasi eagerly testing out their wings, and Fluttershy practicing her newfound ability to literally talk to animals. Rarity was practicing levitation and admiring the glittery glow her magic left on objects. But Sunset herself was gazing blankly out the window, feeling her stomach drop further the closer they got to Canterlot. Twilight trotted over, sitting beside the unicorn.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked.

"Honestly, Twilight, I'm terrified," Sunset replied. "What will Princess Celestia do when she sees me? Maybe she won't want me there. Maybe she'll make me leave Equestria. Maybe…" She sighed. "I don't know, there are so many things that could go wrong." Sunset closed her eyes and then felt a hoof smoothing her mane.

"It won't be that bad," said Twilight as she ran her hoof through Sunset's hair. "We'll all be there for you, no matter how the princess reacts. And besides, I have a feeling Princess Celestia wants to make up with you just as much as you want to with her."

"Do you really think so?" Sunset asked.

"I really do," Twilight answered, smiling at Sunset. She moved her hoof around the unicorn's neck and pulled her into a hug. "Everything will turn out just fine," she promised.

Sunset Shimmer eased herself closer to Twilight, feeling more calm and confident than she had all day against the other's warmth. This comfort didn't last long, however, for when the conductor called out, "Now arriving in the capital of Canterlot!" Twilight released her hold on Sunset and moved toward the train door. And when Sunset heard those words, Twilight's had completely disappeared from her mind. She knew, somewhere, that her friends would be with her, but all she could envision was herself, alone under the cold stare of the princess she had betrayed.

When the doors opened, Sunset Shimmer followed her friends off the train shakily, trying to keep her breath steady. As the group made their way through the streets of Canterlot, Sunset's friends marveled at the beauty of the place, the architecture, the shops, but for Sunset, every step felt like she was getting closer to the edge of a cliff, and if she wasn't careful, she would surely fall. But she had come so far already, how could she turn back?

They soon arrived at the castle, and as they reached the throne room, a guard announced their presence. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends have arrived, Princess Celestia."

There she was, sitting atop the golden throne at the center of the back wall: a magnificent white pony with the stature of a horse, clad in gold and jewels, her mane and horn sparkling brilliantly with the magic that flowed through her. Sunset Shimmer had not seen her in so long, but still felt the same rush of admiration—and envy—that she had always felt in the presence of Princess Celestia. Sunset's fear peaked, and she couldn't even think to hide as the princess began to address them.

"Welcome, Twilight Sparkle, and welcome to you all," she said, smiling warmly at the group.

"Thank you, Princess," Twilight said, bowing instinctively with the others. Sunset quickly bowed herself. "I hope you don't mind that I brought along an extra friend today," she continued, waving a hoof in Sunset's direction.

Time slowed to nearly a halt as Princess Celestia locked eyes with Sunset Shimmer. A thousand thoughts raced through the unicorn's head, her fear growing more and more as the princess slowly stepped toward her. Her breath caught in her throat as Celestia put a hoof on Sunset's shoulder.

The princess smiled, familiarity shining in her violet eyes.

"Welcome back, my old student."


End file.
